The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1887-06-02
A BULLET CUT FROM THE BRAIN
Where 1t Ind been Carried Twenty Three
Years.

Where 1t Ind been Carried Twenty Three
Years.
New YoRY, May 23.-The instances
where men have carried bullets in their
brains and lived are nearly as rare as the
fabulous hens teeth. Colonel Henry
Pickens, who was discharged last week
from Bellevue Hospital, afforded nota-
BILE case. He vas an officer in the Con.
federate army. His home is at LexiDg.
ton, KY. He was wounded at the battle
of Gettysburg in 1868. Since that time
he has carried a bullet constantly in his
brain. Itgave him pain from time to
time, varying in intensity. 0flate years
it had been more painful. Physicians
who were acquainted with his case told
him that it would kill him, yet on Tues.
day last he went home to Lexington
sound in body and mind, with the bullet
extracted. How narrowly he escaped
death may be gathered from the particu-
lars of his case.
Nearly eight weeks ago the bystanders
at the corner of Broadway and Fourth
street saw a we'll dressed man walking
sloH ly up the street, leaning heavily on
cane. Just as he got to the corner he
staggered against window. He seemed
to recover bis balance by the power Of
will, but after taking few more steps he
stopped suddenly, raised his hands to
his head aud fell prcstrate. Blood oozed
from wound in the forehead, where be
had struck. An ambulance was sum.
moued. It was sometime before it came
gathering along the street, sounding the
sharp gong. The ambulance surgeon
saw that the PROSTATE man was breath.
ing heavily. There was no odor of alco.
hol about him. he was picked up and
hurriedly driven to the hospital. There
was nothing in his clothes to lead to his
Identification. The word unknown"
that is SO often written on the records of
the hospital, was entered in the book at
the end of brief description of his ap.
pearance.
From what could be learned about The
case it was thought that the man was
suffering from stroke of paralysis. The
left side seemed to be most affected,
though the entire body showed the dis
tiDguishing marks of the disease. The
patient was kept quiet for several hours
awaiting possible abatement of the
shock. Then, as there we're no signs of
improvement, q strong electric bath was
given. 1t was kept up for about an
hour, and was followed by vigorous rub
bing, sharp skin irritations, cold applica-
tions to the head and warm ones to the
feet. There was an Improvement in the
patients condition, but it was only tenn.
porary. There was no lucid interval.
Whatever there was of virtue in medi.
cine was tried. When nothing more
could be done to revive the patient he
was put into cot and left in quietness
to await the coming of the dread messen.
ger, who, it was thought, was close at
hand.
While putting bandage on the
patients head, DR.. Parker, who makes a
specially Of the brain and its injuries,
noticed an old scar on the left side Of the
head. Upon putting light pressure on
the skull at this pointi vas found to be
indented and to be formed of an elastic
cartilagenous substance. What could
have been the cause of this condition !?
In DR.. Parker's opinion there had been
an injury to the bone, probably frac.
ture, and relief had been given by treph.
lining. This threw new light on the
patients case. It awakened a strong
probability that the brain had been in
jured by blow, and that the uncon-
scious condition was the result OF the
gradual development of an obstruction
to the normal section of the brain.
What the obstruction was could only be
q matter of conjecture. There was no
history Of the injury that could be OBJ.
tained either from the patient himself or
his friends, as they were unknown. It
was evident from the peculiar formation
of the indentation that there had been q
serious laceration of the brain substance.
DR.. Ferrier has demonstrated by ex.
pertinent upon living animals that the
brain consists of motor areas, and that
by applying galvanic current to par.
ticular potion of the brain it would
always be followed by certain movements
in the same muscles. DR.. Parker was
With DR.. Ferrier for a long time in
France, and became deeply interested in
the subject of the motor areas in the
brain as indicating method OF reileI III
injuries to the brain. He has been q
deep student, and both on animals aud
the human beirg he has conducted ex-
periments to lccalize to areas in the brain
the control of particular muscles. He
has found by experiment that the mus
| cles of the left hand and arm were seem.
ingly controlled by section of the brain
in the right side Of the head near the
centre. In the unconscious man it was
found by close watching that he could
move his left leg much better than he
could his left arm, though not as we'll as
he could the hand and arm op the right
side of the body. The left arm was cold
and was entirely without moving power.
From these conditions DR.. Parker con.
cluded that there was some brain inter.
ference in the right side of the head,
near the top. Well, of what value vas
this to the surgeon? 1t pointed out q
probable means of relief. tt is true there